Mark 5:3

Christian Standard Bible ®

He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain—

Parallel Translations

King James Version (1611)
Who had his dwelling among the tombs, and no man could binde him, no not with chaines:

King James Version
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

English Standard Version
He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,

New American Standard Bible
He lived among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain,

New Century Version
This man lived in the caves, and no one could tie him up, not even with a chain.

Amplified Bible
and the man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with chains.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain;

Legacy Standard Bible
who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain;

Berean Standard Bible
This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.

Contemporary English Version
from the graveyard where he had been living. No one was able to tie the man up anymore, not even with a chain.

Complete Jewish Bible
He lived in the burial caves; and no one could keep him tied up, not even with a chain.

Darby Translation
who had his dwelling in the tombs; and no one was able to bind him, not even with chains;

Easy-to-Read Version
He lived in the burial caves. No one could keep him tied up, even with chains.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Who had his abiding among the graues, and no man could binde him, no not with chaines:

George Lamsa Translation
He lived in the cemetery, and no man could bind him in chains;

Good News Translation
and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more;

Lexham English Bible
who lived among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him any longer, not even with a chain,

Literal Translation
who had his abode among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him, not even with chains.

American Standard Version
who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could any more bind him, no, not with a chain;

Bible in Basic English
He was living in the place of the dead: and no man was able to keep him down, no, not with a chain;

Hebrew Names Version
who had his dwelling in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,

International Standard Version
He lived among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with a chain.

Etheridge Translation
and he dwelt in the place of tombs; and with chains no man could bind him:

Murdock Translation
And he dwelt in the place of sepulchres; and no one could confine him with chains:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Which had his abidyng among the tombes: And no man coulde bynde him, no not with cheynes,

English Revised Version
who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could any more bind him, no, not with a chain;

World English Bible
who had his dwelling in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Who had his dwelling among the tombs, and no man could bind him, no not with chains.

Weymouth's New Testament
This man lived among the tombs, nor could any one now secure him even with a chain;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Which man hadde an hous in biriels, and nether with cheynes now myyte ony man bynde hym.

Update Bible Version
who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could anymore bind him, no, not with a chain;

Webster's Bible Translation
Who had [his] dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

New English Translation
He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.

New King James Version
who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, [fn] not even with chains,

New Living Translation
This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain.

New Life Bible
He lived among the graves. No man could tie him, even with chains.

New Revised Standard
He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
who had his dwelling among the tombs, and, not even with a chain, any longer, was anyone able to bind him, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who had his dwelling in the tombs, and no man now could bind him, not even with chains.

Revised Standard Version
who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
which had his abydinge amoge the graves. And no man coulde bynde him: no not with cheynes

Young's Literal Translation
who had his dwelling in the tombs, and not even with chains was any one able to bind him,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
which had his dwellinge in the graues. And no man coude bynde hym, no not with cheynes:

Mace New Testament (1729)
no man being able to confine him, no not with chains:

Simplified Cowboy Version
He lived among the tombs and couldn't even be tied up with chains.

Contextual Overview

¹They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. ²As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. ³He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain— ⁴because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. ⁶When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. ⁷And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” ⁸For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean ⁹“What is your name?” ¹⁰And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Mark 9:18-22, Isaiah 65:4, Daniel 4:32, Daniel 4:33, Luke 8:29

Reciprocal: Daniel 4:25 - drive Mark 9:20 - the spirit Acts 19:16 - General Revelation 18:2 - become

Cross-References

Genesis 4:25
Adam was intimate with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for she said, “God has given me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

Genesis 5:2
he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and called them mankind.

Genesis 5:3
Adam was 130 years old when he fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

Genesis 5:14
So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.

Genesis 5:16
Mahalalel lived 830 years after he fathered Jared, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Job 14:4
Who can produce something pure from what is impure?No one!

Job 25:4
How can a human be justified before God?How can one born of woman be pure?

Psalms 51:5
Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Luke 1:35
The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

John 3:6
Whatever is born of the flesh

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Who had his dwelling among the tombs,.... Which is one of the characters of a madman among the Jews; who say it is q

"the sign of a madman, that he goeth out in the night, הקברות

והלן בבית, "and lodges among the tombs", and rends his garments, and loses what is given to him.''

The same they say, in the same place, of an hypochondriac, and melancholy man; and of Kordiacus, which they give out r is a demon that possesses, and has power over some sort of persons:

and no man could bind him, no, not with chains; so as to hold him for any length of time: not only cords were insufficient to hold, but even chains of iron; so strong was he through the possession; for this could not be by his own natural strength.

q T. Hieros. Gittin, fol. 48. 3. & Trumot, fol. 40. 2. r Jarchi & Bartenora in Misn. Gittin, c. 7. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this account of the demoniacs fully explained in the notes at Matthew 8:28-34.

Mark 5:4

He had been often bound with fetters and chains - Efforts had been made to confine him, but his great strength - his strength increased by his malady - had prevented it. There often appears to be a great increase of strength produced by insanity, and what is here stated in regard to this maniac often occurs in Palestine and elsewhere now. Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 213) says respecting this case: “There are some very similar at the present day - furious and dangerous maniacs, who wander about the mountains, and sleep in tombs and caves. In their worst paroxysms they are quite unmanageable and prodigiously strong.” Luke 8:27 says of him that “he were no clothes,” or that he was naked, which is also implied in the account in Mark, who tells us that after he was healed he was found “clothed and in his right mind,” Mark 4:15. This is often a striking characteristic of insanity. Dr. Pritchard (on “Insanity,” p. 26) quotes from an Italian physician’s description of raving madness or mania: “A striking and characteristic circumstance is the propensity to go quite naked. The patient tears his clothes to tatters.” So Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 213) says: “It is one of the most common traits in this madness that the victims refuse to wear clothes. I have often seen them absolutely naked in the crowded streets of Beirut and Sidon. There are also cases in which they run wildly about the country and frighten the whole neighborhood. These poor wretches are held in the greatest reverence by Muslims, who, through some monstrous perversion of ideas, believe them to be inspired and peculiarly holy.”

Mark 5:5

Cutting himself with stones - These are all marks of a madman - a man bereft of reason, a wretched outcast, strong and dangerous. The inspired penman says that this madness was caused by an unclean spirit, or by his being under the influence of a devil. That this account is not irrational, see the notes at Matthew 4:24.

Mark 5:6

Worshipped him - Bowed down before him; rendered him homage. This was an acknowledgment of his power, and of his control over fallen spirits.

Mark 5:9

My name is Legion - See the notes at Matthew 8:29.

Mark 5:15

Sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind - There could be no doubt of the reality of this miracle. The man had been well known. He had long dwelt among the tombs, an object of terror and alarm. To see him all at once peaceful, calm, and rational, was proof that it was the power of God only that had done it.

They were afraid - They were awed, as in the presence of God. The word does not mean here that they feared that any evil would happen to them, but that they were affected with awe; they felt that God was there; they were struck with astonishment at what Jesus had done.

Mark 5:19

Jesus suffered him not - Various reasons have been conjectured why Jesus did not suffer this man to go with him. It might have been that he wished to leave him among the people as a conclusive evidence of his power to work miracles. Or it might have been that the man feared that if Jesus left him the devils would return, and that Jesus told him to remain to show to him that the cure was complete, and that he had power over the devils when absent as well as when present. But the probable reason is, that he desired to restore him to his family and friends. Jesus was unwilling to delay the joy of his friends, and to prolong their anxiety by suffering him to remain away from them.

Mark 5:20

In Decapolis - See the notes at Matthew 4:25.

How great things ... - This was the natural expression of right feeling at being cured of such a calamity. So the desire of sinners freed from sin is to honor Jesus, and to invite the world to participate in the same salvation, and to join them in doing honor to the Son of God. Compare Psalms 66:16.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Mark 5:3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs — See Matthew 8:28.